Up to now, an electronic apparatus which communicates with a noncontact communication medium has been put into practical use. Examples of the typical noncontact communication medium include a credit card, a debit card, and a card-type passenger ticket (commuter pass and prepaid passenger ticket) which use an RF-ID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology. These noncontact communication mediums are used for various purposes such as small-amount settlement, room entry/exit management, and product distribution management.
The electronic apparatus of this type conventionally includes a loop antenna and a communication circuit (guide-type read/write communication part) which communicates with a noncontact communication medium via the loop antenna. Then, the guide-type read/write communication part transmits electric power and transmission data constantly or intermittently, and obtains reception data from a noncontact communication medium located within a receivable range of the electric power and the transmission data, to thereby perform information processing with the noncontact communication medium. Such a technology is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-319847. Then, a light emitting part incorporated in the guide-type read/write communication part changes a light emitting state thereof to announce a standby state of communication with the noncontact communication medium and a result of information processing (display of a state such as read/write success or read/write failure) with the noncontact communication medium. Such a technology is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-323615 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-84794.
However, in a conventional reader/writer device for a noncontact communication medium, in the case where an area of a reader/writer part is made smaller than that of the noncontact communication medium in order to downsize the device, when the noncontact communication medium is held over the reader/writer part, an entire surface of the reader/writer part is covered by the noncontact communication medium. As a result, even if a light emitting part incorporated in the reader/writer part changes a light emitting state thereof to announce a result of information processing (a state such as read/write success or read/write failure) with the noncontact communication medium, it is difficult to check the announcement (emission of blue color light, red color light, or the like).